The Western region is the hub of Ghana’s mining and agric sectors. Tourism is also booming in the area.
Covering an area of approximately 21,391 square kilometres, which is about 10 per cent of Ghana’s total land mass, the region has about 75 per cent of its vegetation within the high forest zone of Ghana
It lies in the equatorial climatic zone that is characterized by moderate temperatures.
The Western region records an average rainfall of 1,600mm per annum. With its lush green hills and fertile soil, farmers in the region provide enough food to feed many Ghanaians.
Cocoa, coffee, rubber among others are mostly grown in the region.
Many small and large-scale gold mines are located in the region. Cape Three Points, which is now prominent on the world map as a result of the recent oil find, is located in the region.
Tourist visit the various parts of the region to catch a glimpse of imposing Portuguese, Dutch, British, and Brandenburgian forts along the coast, which was built in 1512 at the popular village of Nzulezo entirely on stilts and platforms on water.
The first President of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was born at Nkroful in the Western region, which records the highest rainfall in Ghana, but it can not boast of adequate drinking water for its people.
The Ankobra River, Bia River, Pra River in the east and the Tano River on the western national border are unable to solve the perennial water shortage in the region.
Vida Ackah, a 49-year-old woman, lives at Nkroful in her two-bedroom, which according to her, belongs to a maternal aunt with her nine children and elderly husband.
Victoria is faced with the challenge of securing enough water for drinking, cooking, bathing, among others on a daily basis.
She gets up at dawn with her nine-year-old boy to fetch water at the stream or community well.
“During the dry seasons our problems worsen since we walk for long hours in search of water. We return home very exhausted but just the two pans of water is not enough and so we have to try and go about four or five times.”
It is a known fact that the region has had water supply problems for some time now as a result of seawater seepage into its underground water supply, among others.
Water is a basic human necessity that cannot be ignored in this populous area, and the regional office of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency with support from the European Union is adopting various strategies to find lasting solution.
The Small Water and Sanitation Project, the Community Water and Sanitation Agency with support from the European Union (EU), is supporting 20 communities in the Western region.
The project, estimated to cost GH¢43 million, is being replicated in the Central region where 20 communities are being assisted to ensure access to water and improved sanitary conditions in the country’s rural areas.
The project seeks to provide technical support to district assemblies.
It would also encourage communities to construct their own environmental facilities.
A visit to some selected communities in the Central and Western regions revealed that the project was gradually impacting the lives of the people.
There were elevated tanks of varying capacities in all the communities as well as pumps, water treatment plants and standing taps.
Vida, who was about to offer water to visitors, says she now fetches the pipe-born water for drinking and uses water from the river for washing and bathing.
At Adum Banso, Agnes Nsiah, the water board chairperson expressed joy, noting, “This project has rely been beneficial to women and children and it has made life a little easy for us.”
Since the inception of the project, which has led to the construction of 10 pipes in the community, there has been a tremendous reduction in the prevalence of water related diseases
Though getting people to switch from drinking water from traditional river Efuma to hand dug wells in their homes has been difficult, Mrs. Nsaih is confident that “it’s a matter of time.”
People living in Nkroful and Ellembelle are laying pipes to their homes for personal use instead of sharing the community standpipe where an 80-liter bucket goes for Gh5p.
Private water connection to houses and institutions, according to Bismarck Saibi Mensah, an engineer at the Community Water and Sanitation Agency in the Western region is catching on with some people in the communities.
Since the water in the communities has a concentration of salt, the water becomes hard, which makes it impossible to ladder.
The Engineers explained that the water treatment plants have been provided to address the situation.
Abrefa Mensah, Regional Extension Services Specialist of the Western Regional Community Water and Sanitation Agency, implementers of the project, said before the commencement of the project rural potable water supply coverage in the Western region was estimated at 26 per cent.
According to a survey at the end of December 2009, it was discovered that the region’s potable water supply coverage had increased to an estimated 44.20 per cent.
It is however estimated that the on-going projects would increase potable water supply coverage by 12.50 per cent by the end of the year.
Though this would lead to total regional water coverage of 56.70 per cent, Mr Mensah says it is still below the United Nations required 76 per cent under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
However, some regions such as the Upper West, where there is less amount of rainfall through out the year, has the highest water coverage with about 76.34 per cent followed by the Ashanti region (72.14 percent) and Volta (62.63 per cent).
In the Northern region, the water coverage is 60.11 per cent, Greater Accra (59.20 per cent), Upper East (59.19 per cent), Eastern (58.56 per cent), Brong Ahafo (53.61 per cent) and Central (45.10 per cent).
Data available indicates that from 40 per cent in 2000, the national coverage figure rose sharply to 51.7 per cent in 2004 and gradually inched up to the current level of 58.97 per cent at the end of 2009.
No comments:
Post a Comment